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DHA through AP
People work on a collapsed building in Izmir, Turkey, after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea.
A strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece. Several buildings were destroyed in Turkey’s western Izmir province, according to officials, but there was no immediate information on casualties.
Turkey’s Presidency of Emergency and Disaster Management said Friday’s earthquake (local time) was centered in the Aegean at a depth of 16.5 km and was recorded at a magnitude of 6.6. The emergency authority said it sent search and rescue teams to Izmir.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9, with an epicenter 13 kilometers northeast of the Greek island of Samos.
The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0.
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Turkish media showed the remains of a multi-story building in the center of Izmir, and people climbed up to begin rescue efforts. Turkish media showed that at least one woman was helped out of the rubble of a collapsed building. Smoke was filmed in various locations in central Izmir.
Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer told CNN Turk that about 20 buildings collapsed. The city is the third largest in Turkey with around 4.5 million inhabitants. Turkey’s interior minister tweeted that six buildings in Izmir were destroyed. He said there were small cracks in some buildings in six other provinces.
The Izmir governor said there was no immediate information on victims.
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A powerful earthquake in the Aegean Sea has toppled buildings in Turkey.
Turkish media said the earthquake was felt in the Aegean and Marmara regions, including Istanbul. The governor of Istanbul said there were no reports of damage in the city.
The earthquake was felt in the eastern islands of Greece and even in the Greek capital, Athens. Greek media said that residents of Samos and other islands fled their homes, while some rockslides were reported. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Turkey and Greece reported aftershocks. The earthquake was also felt in Bulgaria.
Greek seismologist Efthymios Lekkas told Greek state television ERT that it was still too early to say whether this was the main earthquake, although he said it likely was.
“It is an evolving event,” Lekkas said, adding that some damage had been reported in parts of Samos.
A tsunami warning was issued, and residents of the Samos area were told to stay away from the coast. The water rose over the pier in the main port of Samos and flooded the street.
The regional governor of the Samos region, Yiannis Stamoulis, said no injuries had been reported on the island. Residents have also been told to stay away from buildings, as aftershocks continued to shake the area.
